Zendaya is reportedly getting a hefty raise ahead of the third season of her hit HBO series Euphoria.
The 26-year-old actress – who caught fans’ attention with her charmingly awkward performance at Sunday’s SAG Awards with Paul Mescal – reportedly earns about $1 million per episode of Euphoria, according to Matthew Belloni at Puk.
While the high school drama is an ensemble piece, Zendaya can lay claim to being the most prominent star on the series, and she also narrates the show.
The $1 million milestone is notable in that it has been achieved by the entire primary cast of NBC’s classic sitcom Friends from the show’s last three seasons.
However, Zendaya’s still-impressive payday would be significantly lower than the Friends cast per episode due to inflation.
Get Higher! Zendaya, 26, scored a huge deal to earn about $1 million per episode of her hit HBO series Euphoria, according to Puck; seen Sunday in Los Angeles
The Leading Role: She is the most prominent star of Euphoria, a dark teen drama known for its characters’ extreme behavior and beautiful candy-colored visuals
Zendaya’s payouts are probably the highest of the show, which is among HBO’s most popular current offerings, though its viewership pales in comparison to much lesser-rated shows on network television.
It was fitting that it was another Euphoria actress underlining just how much less screen stars tend to earn in the entertainment industry’s current climate.
While talking to The Hollywood Reporter for a profile published in July 2022, Zendaya’s costar Sydney Sweeney explained, “They don’t pay actors like they used to, and with streamers you don’t get residuals anymore,” which denies actors a long-term source of income from their past roles.
“The established stars still get paid, but I have to give five percent to my lawyer, ten percent to my agents, three percent or something like that to my business manager,” she continued. “I have to pay my publicist every month, and that’s more than my mortgage.”
Zendaya’s salary has reportedly been settled recently, as she “just concluded a major renegotiation.”
It’s unknown how the salaries of Euphoria’s other primary cast compare to hers.
She is joined by several other high-profile television stars who also get paid around $1 million per episode, including Michael Keaton for Dopesick and Elisabeth Moss for Shining Girls, both of which were limited series.
However, some ongoing shows also offer so much for their top stars. Jason Sudeikis reportedly earns about $1 million per episode of his hit Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso, while Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren both earn that much for Paramount+’s Yellowstone spin-off 1923, as does Chris Pratt for Amazon’s The Terminal List.
However, Kevin Costner seems to be surpassing him with his $1.2 million per episode of Yellowstone, and he’s making even more with an overall deal.
John Krasinski appears to be the highest paid actor on television right now as he reportedly earns an incredible $2 million per episode from Amazon’s Jack Ryan. However, that number is also exaggerated since Krasinski is also an executive producer on the series.
Times are tough: Her costar Sydney Sweeney (L) previously revealed that actors don’t earn as much anymore as streaming has decimated the royalties they used to earn; seen with Alexa Demie on Euphoria
Bank earning: Kevin Costner earns even more with $1.2 million per episode of the hit series Yellowstone (pictured), though his future with the show is uncertain
Top of the pack: John Krasinski is reportedly the highest paid TV actor with $2 million per episode of Amazon’s Jack Ryan, but part of his salary is due to his EP status
Blast: On Instagram, Zendaya shared some gorgeous snaps of her second outfit from Sunday’s SAG awards
Spooky glamour: She looked effortlessly glamorous in a black and white photo taken backstage in an abandoned hallway
However, Belloni noted that many shows and networks are trying to cut back on the star’s high salaries, with one “dealmaker” claiming that “$850,000 is the new $1 million.”
Ahead of news of Zendaya’s payday, she laughed at the fans tuning in to Sunday’s SAG Awards when she appeared – perhaps accidentally – to blow off Aftersun star Paul Mescal.
After the Irish actor extended a courtesy hand to the actress as they went up the stairs to present an award, she either didn’t notice or politely declined the offer, forcing him to awkwardly raise his hand.
Several viewers joked on social media about how jittery and jittery he seemed around Zendaya, fumbling some of his words while trying to read the teleprompter.
